Perhaps it got lost in the saucy intrigue of the moment, but now that we've taken several steps away from the Carmelo Anthony-Kevin Garnett contretemps of Jan. 7 in New York, it's possible an even better story has emerged. One that got very little attention.

All around we played CSI: Madison Square Garden, seeking every last-minute detail of how Anthony and Garnett bickered into a double-technical foul on the court, how the former left the floor through the visiting team's tunnel to confront KG and how Melo was waiting by the Celtics' bus to deal further with the situation. It was portrayed as a Molotov moment needing only a match. It was portrayed as foolish millionaire athletes having flashbacks to the less civil days of their youth, when basketball led to words and words led to retribution.

We've heard multiple versions from people who were courtside as to just what Garnett said, and while none can be confirmed beyond doubt, their common thread is a lack of fitness for print. There is no question Anthony was angry then, and it is hard to say for certain whether he still had malice in mind later by the bus, even as he said repeatedly, "I just want to talk to him."